On Thursday, December 14, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) and Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program launched the new Avalanche Accident Explorer. This interactive map displays information about Colorado’s fatal accidents since December 2009.
“Safely exploring Colorado’s iconic great outdoors is part of who we are. The new Avalanche Accident Explorer makes avalanche information more accessible to help Coloradans and visitors explore more safely,” said Governor Jared Polis in his congratulations to the development team. “This collaboration between CAIC and CMC students is a great example of real-world learning opportunities for students that will protect Coloradans and our millions of visitors.”
On-site view of a 2022 avalanche on Hoosier Pass. Two were found deceased in the area of the avalanche. Courtesy of Summit County Rescue Group.
CMC Leadville’s Associate Professor of Geographic Information Systems Dara Seidl, and CMC students Lucy Kepner and Joe Tayabji created the data visualization tool to help people more easily explore fatal involvements with avalanches.
“Partnering with CAIC on the Avalanche Accident Explorer has been a tremendous opportunity for CMC GIS students to engage in meaningful spatial visualization work for the benefit of our Colorado community,” said Seidl. “Our collaboration enabled our GIS students to further hone programming skills and build a custom web map application from the ground up.”
Accidents are shown on a map with various layers and filters that can be selected. Users can filter accidents by travel mode, aspect, elevation, and avalanche type to explore where fatal accidents are taking place.
“We are so grateful for this partnership with Dara and her students,” said CAIC Director Ethan Greene. “This interactive tool allows us to share important information about avalanche accidents in an intuitive, interactive platform. We know that people learn better when they can explore information. Together, we have created a public safety tool that allows people to see avalanche accident data on a map so that they can learn how to avoid this natural hazard.”
The Avalanche Accident Explorer is accessible from the CAIC website at www.colorado.gov/avalanche under the Accidents menu. For more information about the data, go to CAIC Statistics & Reporting.
To see the avalanche forecast for the area in which you are interested, or to learn more about avalanche safety, go to www.colorado.gov/avalanche. CAIC always urges back country travelers to check the forecast, get some training, and be prepared with the proper knowledge and equipment.
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